Trump rebukes Saudis, but also gives them more time

The Trump administration on Thursday offered its first rebuke of Saudi Arabia on Thursday over the disappearance of a U.S.-based journalist widely believed to have been murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would pull out of a high-profile investment summit in Riyadh, an announcement he made shortly after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saudi Arabia would have “a few more days” to complete an investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 and hasn’t been seen since.

Vice President Pence offered some of his most pointed comments yet on the case, telling reporters in Colorado that “if a journalist lost their life at the hand of violence, that is a threat to a free and independent press around the world and there will be consequences.”